An Ordinary Love Story
by The Lady Arturia
Summary: The story of two ordinary people who shared an extraordinarily ordinary love. And their two daughters who are anything but extraordinary. A short family saga for all eyes to read. Written for the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition.
1. An Ordinary Love Story

**An Ordinary Love Story**

* * *

 _The story of two ordinary people who shared an extraordinarily ordinary love._

* * *

He sighed as he stood at the end of the long queue, waiting his turn. After what seemed like ages, the line inched forwards, but just as the person before him took a small step, there was the clanking sound of metal grates, and the witch behind the counter put up a sign that read _Lunch Break._ The witches and wizards at the very front of the queue exclaimed in frustration and started to demand that she come back, but the rest were already dispersing. Percy groaned as he walked to the row of chairs near the wall and flopped down in one, placing his file on his lap.

Thanks to the damage during the war, a lot of paperwork had gone missing in the Ministry, and even the simplest of procedures would take forever. All he needed was a seal on his verification papers, but it didn't seem like he would get it any time soon.

He sighed again as he idly watched the yelling escalate. The witch behind the counter was long gone, and the ones in the neighbouring cubicles continued to feign ignorance, but the frustrated people on the other side of the grates didn't seem to care that their insults and pleas were falling on deaf ears.

"You'd think they would've found a solution to this by now," he muttered to himself as he sat back in his seat.

"I agree."

Surprised, he turned to his right to find a petite, dark-haired witch he'd never seen before sitting in the chair beside him.

"Er," he said awkwardly, wondering if he should tell her that he'd just been thinking out loud.

She turned wide, brown eyes away from the counter and fixed them on him, the corners of her lips lifting in a small smile. "They really need to get their act together. This is getting out of hand."

He nodded, cleared his throat, and said, "Yeah, they really should."

He thought that would be the end of their conversation, but the brunette held her hand out and said, "I'm Audrey, by the way."

Taking the outstretched hand after a moment's hesitation, he replied, "Nice to meet you. I'm Percy."

Her smile widened, and she began to list all the things that she thought would make things more efficient. As he listened, he couldn't help but feel relieved that he had someone to talk to while he waited.

-oOo-

He strode down the hallway, engrossed in the file he was reading, mentally making notes to consult his assistant about. Just as he rounded a corner, he ran right into someone. The force of their collision threw them both backwards, and in the process of regaining their balance, the papers in their arms went flying all over the place.

Stumbling, he caught himself just before he fell and squatted down as he began to pick up the papers.

"Oh, I'm so sorry!" the woman was saying over and over again as she knelt down and helped him. "I wasn't looking. Oh, I really am terribly sorry!"

"It's fine, don't worry about it," he assured her, although he was rather annoyed that she'd shattered his concentration and caused him to lose his train of thought.

He stood up with a sigh and glanced at the witch, picturing her to be on the heavier side, considering the force with which she'd run into him. To his surprise, it was the same petite brunette he'd spent over an hour talking to the other day.

She blinked, her expression mirroring his, and said, "Aren't you…"

"Percy, yeah." He nodded, half-smiling.

"Looks like we keep running into each other, huh?"

She laughed awkwardly, tucking a strand of her hair behind her ear, and he cleared his throat. Although he would've probably been glad to have bumped into her some other time, he was far too busy at the moment and wasn't really in the mood for small talk.

"Well, I have to get back to work, so…" he trailed off, making a vague motion with his hand, and she flushed.

"Yes, right, of course. Well, erm, see you around, then."

"Right. See you around."

He nodded to her and walked off, feeling slightly guilty for cutting her off like that, but as he flipped open his file, he decided that such thoughts would have to wait for later. Right now, he had more important things to—

He halted abruptly when he realised that some of his papers were missing. Cursing under his breath, he spun around, and someone slammed right into his chest. Stumbling backwards, the heel of his shoe caught against the gap in the tiles, and he went sprawling to the ground, a shrieking Audrey tumbling down on top of him. They lay there for a moment, each catching their breath, and she finally pulled herself up and dusted herself off.

She held her hand out, as though offering to pull him up, and he took it without thinking about the fact that she was much smaller than he was. She nearly fell on him again, and face as red as his hair, she stepped back and waved her hands.

"I'm so embarrassed, I really don't know what to say. I'm _so_ sorry. Oh, Merlin, this is _so_ embarrassing."

She babbled on, and as he got to his feet and helped her sort out the papers, he couldn't help but smile. Her clumsiness was rather endearing. Something about this woman intrigued him.

-oOo-

"I didn't know you were Head of the DMT*."

He looked up from the papers he was signing to see familiar, twinkling brown eyes and a surprised smile. She held out a file and said, "The forms you requested from the education department."

He sat back in his seat and said, "I didn't think the Head of the Department of Magical Education herself would come up here to hand over some forms."

She rolled her eyes, and he motioned to the chair opposite him. She nodded as she took off her coat and slung it on the back of the chair before sitting down. "Now, that's not fair. You knew I was Head, but you didn't tell me you were."

He shrugged. "It never really came up."

She tilted her head, a thoughtful expression on her face. "I suppose not. Well, the actual reason I'm here is because I would like to discuss the pros and cons of adding the pre-schools in this list to the Floo Network," she said, pulling out papers from the file.

He was about to answer when he felt the sharp pang of hunger, and said, "How about we have this discussion over lunch? My break starts in a few minutes, and that's the only time I've got to spare right now."

She seemed surprised by the invitation but accepted it nonetheless, and rising to her feet, she shuffled the various papers and replaced them in the file. He strode around his desk and, as an afterthought, picked up her coat and held it out for her. She stared at the coat and then at him, and with a little, embarrassed laugh, she slipped her arms through and thanked him.

He smiled in reply, and as they exited his office, he couldn't help but think that she had a very pretty laugh.

-oOo-

"Percy! Percy, wait!"

He paused, one leg already in the Floo, and glanced sideways to find her running towards him. She reached him, doubled over, gasped for breath, straightened up, and said, "Here."

He eyed the envelope she was holding and frowned in confusion. Noticing his expression, she said, "They're tickets."

"Tickets?"

"Right. For tonight's show."

Racking his brains, he wondered what she was talking about when she continued in a rush, "Remember you told me at lunch the other day that you wanted to see that musical but didn't know anyone who sold tickets?"

Recollecting that particular conversation, he nodded. She smiled. "Well, remember how I said I happened to know someone who had two extra tickets?"

She waved the envelope, and he exclaimed in surprise. He hadn't actually expected her to get him the tickets. "What, really? I can have these?"

She nodded, and he accepted the envelope and thanked her. Just as she was about to say something, the wizard behind him grumbled about him holding up the line, and she stepped back hurriedly.

"Oh, I'm so sorry for the hold-up!" She flushed and then glanced towards him, as though she was waiting for him to say something, but seeming to change her mind, she mumbled a goodbye and waved as she turned around and began to walk away.

He turned back to the Floo and began to step inside once again, but a sudden realisation dawned on him, and he called after her. "Audrey!"

She stumbled and spun around. "Yes?"

"I'll pick you up at seven!"

She laughed, a dimple forming in one cheek, and said, "Alright!"

As he stepped into the Floo and felt the familiar, dizzying sensation, all he could think of was her delighted expression, and he couldn't help but feel that something might just be going right for him for once.

-oOo-

He groaned as he placed the last of the papers atop the pile and stretched out across his desk. Revelling at the coolness of the glass against his cheek, he sighed and stared at his pot of ink, wondering if he would bump into her today.

It had been _ages_ since their date, and both of them had been so busy that they hadn't even had time to eat a meal together. Every time either of them had a moment to spare, the other was waist-deep in work. They'd both been working overtime lately, but he still had yet to see her.

Groaning, he straightened up and stretched. Rising to his feet, he yawned and decided that, since he'd managed to finish his work early, he would go eat an early lunch in the newly rebuilt canteen while it was still empty. Despite what everyone said, he rather liked the mashed potato salad with sour cream and a dash of scallion that they served.

Trudging out of his office, he stifled another yawn and decided that he was much too lazy to walk to the elevator. Spinning on the spot, he Disapparated and arrived at his destination a moment later. Once he'd bought his lunch, he settled down at the farthest table and bit into his bacon and egg sandwich, humming as the taste filled his mouth.

"Mind if I sit here?"

He looked up to see her in all her messy-haired, bleary-eyed glory, and he immediately felt himself perk up. He motioned to the seat opposite his as he continued to watch her, taking in her dishevelled appearance and the shadows under her tired, brown eyes. She looked far more exhausted than he felt.

"Tough week?" he asked as he scooped up some mash.

She mumbled a reply as she scarfed down her flavoured yogurt and grabbed her coffee. He nodded, and the two ate in silence, neither having the energy to begin a conversation, yet still enjoying the peaceful quiet that settled over them.

Once he was done, he pushed back his tray and sighed, dreading having to go back to more paperwork. She leaned forwards and cupped her chin with her hands.

"Tough week?"

He snorted and shook his head. "Unbelievably. Sometimes I wish I wasn't the one who had to handle all the others' mistakes."

"Mmhm. Same."

She titled her head and smiled in the most adorable, lopsided way, and he felt the sudden urge to hold her tight in his arms and not let her go. Just the thought of not seeing her again for a while made his already miserable day even worse.

-oOo-

He glanced at his watch and quickened his pace. He'd promised to meet her across the street from the restaurant, but he was running late. Hoping he hadn't made her wait for too long, he rounded a corner and crashed into someone.

Throwing his arms out, he caught the railing with one hand and the person who had bumped into him with the other. Staring into wide, sparkling brown eyes, he saw his own surprise reflected in them and burst out laughing as a sense of déjà vu settled over him. She straightened up and watched him laugh with a wry smile on her face.

Once he'd settled down, she said, "If we keep running into each other like this, one of us is bound to get hurt."

"It wouldn't be me," he replied, giving her a once over.

She smacked his arm playfully and laughed; the sound of her bubbling laughter had quickly become one of his most favourite things. He'd picture himself waking up to her smiling face and her tinkling laughter, and every time he would come to the realisation that he was falling for her more and more.

Drawn out of his thoughts by her calling his name, he crooked his elbow and offered it to her. "Milady."

She giggled in a girlish way that made his heart sing, and as she hooked her arm through his, she said, "Why, thank you, sir."

He grinned as they walked across the street to the restaurant, and all the way through dinner, the only thing he could think of was that he wanted to spend every last moment of his life with this woman.

-oOo-

He turned to his side and propped his head up with his arm. Reaching forwards, he tucked a strand of her wavy curls behind her ear. The glitter from the _Fly, Falcons!_ hat she'd been wearing earlier that day was still in her hair. She looked up at him, brown eyes shining, and he dipped his head down to capture her lips.

Once he pulled away, she smiled. "I was quite surprised that you could be just as passionate about Quidditch as you are with…" she trailed off, twirling her hand.

He quirked an eyebrow. "Really?"

She shrugged a shoulder.

"Well," he said as he wrapped his arm around her and pulled her close. "I suppose there's still a lot about me you don't know."

"Is that a challenge?" she asked, leaning back in his embrace so she could look him in the eye.

He shrugged, trying to seem nonchalant, but he couldn't keep the smug smile from his face. She flicked his nose and said, "Well, you didn't think I was such a good cook, either, so I suppose we _both_ don't know each other all that well."

"Then it's a good thing I intend to spend the rest of my life learning everything there is to know about you," he murmured, watching as her eyes went round.

"What?" she whispered, and he leaned over her to grab his wand from the side table, and summoned the small, velvet box that was in his coat's pocket.

He clicked it open and held it in front of her, gauging her expression nervously. She stared at the simple platinum ring, the small cluster of diamonds making her eyes shimmer. He wanted to urge a reaction out of her, but he was much too anxious, so he remained absolutely still as she slowly tore her eyes away from the ring to fix them on him.

"Oh, Percy," she breathed, her kind, brown eyes glistening with unshed tears. "It's so… perfect."

"So…" he said, his voice catching. He cleared his throat and tried again, suddenly feeling overcome with emotion. "So… you're saying yes?"

"Of course I'm saying yes, you dolt!" she exclaimed, startling him as she threw her arms around his neck and kissed him.

He pulled away after a long moment and couldn't stop the laughter that bubbled to the surface. "I love you," he whispered as he slipped the ring on her finger, and for the first time since he was born, he really and truly felt the depth of meaning in those three words.

She smiled, tears spilling down her cheeks, as she whispered back, "I love you, too. Now and forever."

-oOo-

The weeks before and after the wedding went by in a blur. All he remembered, and needed to remember, was watching her walk down the aisle, her beautiful white dress trailing behind her and tears streaming down her cheeks as she laughed. She had looked like the happiest woman in the world, and she made him the happiest man in the world.

He had never once thought that he would feel so passionately about something that wasn't related to his career or his goals, but she had a way of engulfing him in her warmth, and he had no qualms in drowning in those deep, loving, brown eyes of hers.

The only other people who were just as happy, if not happier, were the rest of his family. So much so that he had to finally put his foot down and tell them that they just wanted a simple, quiet wedding and nothing else. He also remembered that there had been a _lot_ of crying on everybody's part, including his, during the days that led up to the wedding and on the day itself.

Now, as he waited for his wife to gingerly place the tiny, pink bundle in his arms, he felt as though his heart would explode from being too full. His daughter mewled quietly, and he leaned forwards and pressed a feather-light kiss to her little, ginger head. The edge of her mouth quirked upwards for a second, and he gasped in delight.

"Looks like she's happy to finally meet Daddy."

He sat down beside his wife and kissed her hair. She leaned her head against his shoulder and sighed happily as she snuggled against him.

Smiling, he held his family close as he said, "And Daddy is _very_ happy to finally meet you, too, Molly."

 _~*To be continued*~_

(*DMT: Department for Magical Transportation)

* * *

 **A/n: This was written for Round 13 of the Quidditch League Fanfiction Competition. The prompt this time around was probably the hardest one yet- we could write whatever we wanted. After debating over a lot [two] of possible plots, I decided that I wanted to write a Percy/Audrey one and ended up with this fluffy, adorable piece. I actually saw Audrey as this strong, tall, independent woman [similar to Astoria] after reading several stories, but while writing this I decided that a small, clumsy, bubbly Audrey is something that I absolutely adore and is someone who would be perfect for Percy.**

 **Agh, they are just too cute, I cannot. I thoroughly enjoyed writing this piece.**

 **Special thanks to my Cappy'tan and beta, lokilette.**

 **Comments, opinions and concrit are always welcome! I live and breathe for reviews, as you know.**

 **Lots of love~**

 **Arty xx**


	2. An Ordinary Family Story

**A/n: As y'all know from the first chapter, this was meant to be a one-shot but then I fell in love with them and had to make it a mini series.**

 **This was written for Round 13 of QLFC as a reserve story in place of my team's Beater 2, katibee, who couldn't submit because she's very ill. Here's to hoping you get well soon, Kati.**

 **Her Beater's prompts were:** **(restriction) no spell can be cast or mentioned, and** **(word) hairbrush.**

* * *

 **An Ordinary Family Life**

* * *

" _Uwaaaah!"_

He groaned as his daughter's shrill cries pierced the quiet night, forcing him out of his already restless sleep. His wife shifted beside him, mumbling against his shoulder, and he sighed. Yes, it was his turn to check on Molly, he knew.

With an almighty sigh, he rolled out from under the duvet and trudged into the adjoining bedroom. Although it had initially seemed like a good idea to leave the doorway without a door, both him and Audrey had quickly come to regret that decision. Their daughter may be tiny, but her voice was loud enough to be heard all the way across Britain.

Suppressing another yawn, he picked Molly up from her cot and bounced her in his arms. After a quick look, it was clear that a dirty nappy wasn't the cause for her incessant bawling, so he crooked a finger and placed it against her lips. She instantly simmered down and started sucking on it, and he sighed again. Looked like he'd have to wake his wife up after all.

"She's hungry, giver her here."

He turned around to see Audrey in the doorway, looking like she would fall asleep on her feet.

"How'd you know?" he muttered as he walked up to her and placed the child in his wife's arms.

"How do you _not_ know? She cries differently for different things," Audrey replied as she walked back into the bedroom. "You've been home most of the time this past month. Although you _are_ cooped up in your study all day long."

He groaned as he got under the sheets and watched Audrey feed Molly. "How can you even tell something like that? There's a _pattern_ to the madness?"

She chuckled as she made herself comfortable. "If you can't tell what _one_ baby's crying means, imagine having to figure out what a dozen of them want."

"Still can't believe you quit your job as Division Head to baby-sit random people's children," he grumbled as his eyes slipped shut.

He could feel the annoyed look she shot his way even if he couldn't see it. "I'm not having this discussion in the middle of the night with you falling asleep on me."

He murmured something unintelligible as he let himself slip into the glorious nothingness of slumber, but he still managed to crack a smile when he felt her warm fingers gently run through his hair.

-oOo-

"Daddy! Daddy! Daddy!"

He threw his quill down on his desk and grit his teeth. "Molly!" he yelled over the loud banging, "Daddy's working right now!"

The banging stopped, and he heard his daughter's muffled voice from the other side of the door say, "You're _always_ working."

He sighed and felt his anger ebb away. She was right. He _had_ been working all the time, of late. When Molly was a few months old, he had decided to go back to working from his office at the Ministry, but for the past two days, he'd been working from home because Lucy had fallen ill, and Audrey had decided to stay at her parents' house to prevent Molly from catching it, too. Although he had decided to keep most of the tedious work out of the house, there was simply too much to do, and having to look after his three-year-old daughter simultaneously was just _not_ working.

It had barely been two afternoons, but he was already at his wit's end.

He looked up as the door opened gently and Molly poked her head in, as though waiting for permission to enter. He felt guilt well up inside him and he rose from his chair, walking over to her with a smile. Squatting down, he held his arms out, and with a delighted giggle, she ran into his embrace.

He laughed as he picked her up and hoisted her on his hip. Kissing her hair, he walked out of the room and pulled the door shut behind him.

"Work?" Molly asked, looking at him with wide, innocent brown eyes that were so much like her mother's.

He touched her nose and said, "What, and miss the chance to play with my baby girl?"

He tickled her, and she squealed, swatting away his hand. "Daddy, no!"

"Why not?" he asked with a grin as he waggled his fingers.

"No means no!" Molly said in her sternest voice, holding up a finger in a perfect imitation of her mother.

"But Daddy doesn't want to listen." He started to tickle her again, but she shrieked and struggled in his grasp, slipping out of his arms and sliding to the floor.

"You can't catch me!" she sang as she raced into the living room, and he followed after her with a laugh.

As he chased his little girl around the house, the sound of her delighted giggles and his own laughter made him realise that a few delayed documents weren't worth anything compared to these precious moments.

-oOo-

"Girls, stop it!"

He walked into the living room to find Lucy all but hanging from one of Audrey's arms, and Molly clinging to her leg.

" _She started it!_ " his daughters chorused, pointing a finger at the other.

"She stole my hairbrush!"

"It's _my_ hairbrush!"

His wife looked at him desperately.

He shot her a confident _I've got this_ smile as he pulled Lucy off Audrey and set her down. That probably wasn't the right decision, because his youngest immediately launched herself at her sister, throwing them both to the ground.

"Oh, for the love of—" Audrey exclaimed as she proceeded to extricate their daughters from each other. "I _just_ pulled them apart, and you had to go and—"

"My bad," he apologised as he grabbed a shrieking Molly and dragged her to one end of the room while Audrey carried a struggling Lucy to the other. His wife then proceeded to sit Lucy down on the arm of the sofa and held up a finger, giving her the classic _I'm warning you,_ look. Lucy crossed her arms and sat sulking as Audrey glanced towards him with a sigh. He looked down at Molly's red head and said, "Mol, how 'bout you and I go read one of your storybooks?"

After eight years, he had come to learn that he was best at handling Molly while Audrey was the _only_ one who could handle Lucy's tantrums. His oldest was much like him; the only times she actually lost her temper was when Lucy stole her storybooks or dirtied them or something. And as he looked down into her wide, shining eyes, he knew she had all but forgotten about the fight with her sister.

" _Really?"_ she gasped, bouncing on the spot.

"If you want to—"

"Yes, please!" she said quickly, grabbing his hand and dragging him out the room. He shot his wife a triumphant smile, and she rolled her eyes as she turned back to a pouting Lucy. As he followed an excited Molly up the stairs, he couldn't help but be thankful that he didn't have to be the one to handle Lucy's prolonged bouts of sulking.

-oOo-

"Daddy, you're not gonna cry, are you?"

He ruffled Lucy's hair with a little too much force as he put on a brave smile. He had promised himself that he wouldn't cry, but seeing his little Molly in her black, Hogwarts robes, standing beside her trunk, really wasn't helping his case.

"If you cry, I'll cry, then Mum'll cry, then Lucy'll cry, then we're all just gonna be standing here crying and people will stare at us," Molly said all in one breath. She looked around, as though to make sure that people weren't already staring. His oldest was self-conscious about the silliest things—a trait he admitted to having passed on.

" _I_ won't cry," Lucy retorted, crossing her arms and looking adamant.

"I can't promise the same," Audrey added, her eyes already shining with unshed tears.

" _Mum,_ " Lucy whined. "You're supposed to on _my_ side!"

Audrey cocked and eyebrow. "When have I _ever_ taken sides?"

"But Dad's always on my side and you're always on Lu's side," Molly explained as she absent-mindedly braided a bit of her hair.

"No we're not," he piped up, seeing his wife's eyes go round. "We're on _both_ your sides."

"That's right. We're fair parents." Audrey nodded with finality, but she added a quick, "And you better not go around telling your cousins any of this nonsense about taking sides, you hear?"

Both girls looked away, innocent expressions on their faces. Audrey leaned close to him and said in a low voice so only he could hear, "Angie sent me a letter the other day about how Freddie's been saying she can't force him to eat his vegetables because you don't force Molly to eat hers."

He scoffed at that and replied, "That's because I don't _need_ to force her to do anything. She does them all on her own."

He watched as his daughters broke into an argument about how Lucy was going to get a bigger, better owl than Molly's when it was her turn to go to Hogwarts, and he couldn't help but feel a sense of pride well up within him. Audrey rolled her eyes, but he noticed her quickly swipe her sleeve across her cheek. Whatever they said or did, he could never disagree when his siblings accused them of doting on their children a little too much—although he always made sure to put forth a very good argument each time.

His girls were his world, and one of them was about to leave home for the very first time, so he couldn't help but have mixed feelings about that.

"I now understand how Mum and Dad felt when they were seeing us off," he said as he wrapped an arm around his wife. "I still remember yelling at Mum because she was being so embarrassing."

He chuckled at the memory, and as if on cue, a familiar voice called out to them, and his mother appeared amidst the crowd on the platform, waving one hand furiously and pointing to herself with the other. Feeling his cheeks grow hot as other families turned to look at what all the commotion was about, he grumbled, " _I'm_ not the one losing my eyesight."

"Oh, come on, Perce," Audrey chided in a gentle voice as they watched their girls run over to their oncoming troop of cousins.

He saw Lucy shoot a rather guilty look his way before disappearing into the sea of redheads. Several minutes later he found out exactly what his daughter was guilty of when Ron came up to him and said, "What's this I hear about you taking sides, then?"

He rolled his eyes as Audrey burst out laughing, leaving him to handle the mess Lucy had created, as she and the rest of the mothers huddled around their oldest kids, giving them last minute advice. But even as he caught Lucy as she ran past and made her apologise to her uncle, he couldn't help the sense of pride and joy that settled within him. It was only now, so many years later, that he was coming to appreciate all the things that his parents had done that he had never thought twice about before.

-oOo-

"Absolutely not."

He didn't even have to look up to guess the sort of expression that was on his daughter's face. Lucy stomped her foot and yelled, "Why not? You let _Molly_ bring a boy over last Christmas!"

Sighing, he pulled off his glasses and rubbed his eyes. It was nearly midnight, he still had a lot of end-of-the-year paperwork to look over, and he really didn't have the energy to argue with his thirteen-year-old daughter over whether or not she could call a boy home for Christmas.

"Lu, Julian has been Molly's best friend for _five_ _years_. Where as I have never once heard you talk about this Randall character," he reasoned. His daughter seemed to agree, too, because she immediately put on her trademark pout.

"I _have_ talked about him," she argued.

He raised his eyebrows. "How come I don't remember, then?"

She looked away and muttered, "Maybe you're getting old."

He just stared at her. She finally gave in with an exaggerated sigh. " _Fine,_ I won't call him over."

She began to stalk out, but he stopped her before she reached the door. "Sweetheart, it's not that I'm against you calling boys home, that's not something I would be against at all, it's just that I've never heard you talk about this boy so I was a little surprised."

She shrugged a shoulder and said, "Maybe that's because I haven't talked about him as much?"

He frowned. "And why not?"

She stared at the floor as she followed the patterns along the carpet with her toe. "…Because he's a Slytherin."

He sighed before he could stop himself, and she misunderstood it as a negative reaction, because her cheeks turned red and she said angrily, "See? _This_ is why I didn't tell you!"

Before she could leave, he rose to his feet quickly, pushing back his chair with a loud scraping sound. "Lucy, wait."

She glowered at him, hand still on the doorknob.

"Lucy," he continued in an even voice, "please calm down and hear me out."

"Why?" she demanded.

"Because I've listened to what you had to say, and I only think it fair that you do the same for me."

She deliberated for a moment, and finally conceded with a sigh. Stalking over to the small sofa, she flopped down on it and crossed her legs. Throwing a final glance at his abandoned paperwork, he walked around his desk and sat down beside his daughter. He put an arm around her and pulled her close, and she only resisted for a moment before relenting.

"Sweetheart, I don't care whether you're friends with a Slytherin or a Hufflepuff or even a Muggle, for that matter."

She glanced up at him. "Really?"

"Well, OK, maybe a Muggle friend would be a little more complicated," he said awkwardly, and she giggled.

Smiling, he stroked her arm. "I would like it if you invited Randall over for Christmas."

She looked up at him, her surprise clear in her shimmering brown eyes. "Really?" she gasped.

"Really."

"Oh, thank you, Daddy! You're the best!"

She pecked him on the cheek and raced to the door. Fumbling with the lock, she pulled the door open after a moment and skipped out, throwing a careless, "And I'm sorry for listening to Uncle George and Uncle Ron! I won't do it again!" over her shoulder.

He stared at the door with his mouth hanging open and cursed under his breath. So _that's_ why she had reacted that way. No matter how many years passed, it seemed like his brothers simply couldn't give it a rest with the practical jokes. As he strode over to his desk, he wondered what he would do if Randall ended up being Lucy's boyfriend. _One hurdle at a time,_ he told himself as he picked up a new piece of parchment.

But first things first, he had a few things he wanted to say to two of his favourite brothers.

-oOo-

"Did you hear? Molly's Head Girl!"

He looked around at his siblings, beaming. George and Ron simply eyed him for a moment before turning back to the conversation they had been having before he'd interrupted them with his arrival and his big announcement. Unperturbed by their display of disinterest, he walked over to his mother and sister in the kitchen and kissed them each on the cheek.

"Oh my, someone's in a good mood," his mother said, hugging him.

"Of course! After all, Molly's—"

"—Head Girl," Ginny interrupted with a roll of her eyes. "Yes, we heard you the first dozen times."

He grinned and hugged her before taking off his coat and hanging it up. "Speaking of," Ginny continued. "Where _is_ your little Head Girl?"

Before he could answer, there was the sound of the Floo, and Molly stepped out, followed by Lucy and Audrey. His youngest made a beeline for the backdoor and yelled, "Everyone, quick, hide! The Head Girl's here!"

Molly rolled her eyes as she handed over the box in her hands to her aunt and said, "Lucy's still mad that she wasn't made Prefect and you aren't walking around announcing it to the world."

He let the little side-remark slide as he hugged his daughter and wife. He was much too proud and overjoyed to trifle over trivial things.

"If it isn't my most favourite Head Girl in all of Britain!"

They turned to the door as Louis strode in, arms wide open, and Molly stepped into his embrace with a laugh.

"Never thought I'd live to see the day when two Weasleys became Head Boy and Girl."

His father walked into the room, followed by Bill and Harry. George scoffed as he shifted to the armrest to make room on the sofa. "I can just see good ol' Snape rolling in his grave."

They laughed at that, and he settled down on a stool at the kitchen counter with a mug of soup in his hands. A moment later Audrey sat on the stool beside him, and Lucy perched on top of the counter. She reached for his mug, but before she could take it from him, Molly came up to them and grabbed it out of his hand. She took a long swig, and grinned at her sister. Sensing the beginning of another pointless argument, he took the mug from his daughter's hand and held it to the side—only to have it stolen from him, again, by his wife, who finished the entire thing and placed it on the counter with a happy sigh. He pursed his lips at the grin she shot him, but didn't move away when she looped her arm through his and rested her head on his shoulder.

Molly and Lucy were still arguing, the Burrow was bursting at the seams with the rest of his family, and he had nothing to complain about. He sat back with a smile, content and happy.

*~ _To be continued~*_

* * *

 **A/n: Yup, that's right, this is gonna have a part three! Like I said, I just love them too much. They are just too adorable.**

 **Comments and views and opinions and concrit are welcome as always, reviews are my life I breathe and live for them (I am not exaggerating).**

 **Thanks for reading!**

 **Lots of love~**

 **Arty xx**


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